Wasps wing apologises for behaviour
PREMIERSHIP REACTION: Wasps wing Paolo Odogwu has apologised for his behaviour in the aftermath of his red card for a kick to the face of former Sale Sharks teammate Rohan Van Rensburg.
The Du Preez brothers scored 22 of Sale’s points as they secured a significant 28-18 Premiership win over Wasps.
However, the late red card incident left a sour note to the encounter at the AJ Bell Stadium.
Odogwu got his matching order for kicking Rohan Janse Van Rensburg flush in the face when fielding a high ball late in the second-half. The 22-year-old extended his foot out which then collided with Van Rensburg’s face.
Despite the ugly optics of the incident, Odogwu appeared to laugh in derision at the referee’s decision to send him off. He admitted that his reaction wasn’t the best.
“Tough one to take, the challenge in the air wasn’t intentional but the reaction wasn’t the best in the heat of the moment, it’s an emotional game sometimes gets the best of you.
Social media inevitably got good mileage out of the incident; even the Wasps Rugby account appeared shocked.
Tough one to take, challenge in the air wasn’t intentional but reaction wasn’t the best in the heat of the moment, it’s an emotional game sometimes gets the best of you. Apologies to Rohan and @SaleSharksRugby hope you’re all good. Onwards and upwards 🐝
— Paolo Odogwu (@notoriousPCO) November 8, 2019
🎶Everybody was Kung Fu fighting 🎶#salvwas pic.twitter.com/ZZPmlEX3Tm
— Douglas Branch (@DougBranch27) November 8, 2019
The Coventry born wing – ironically renowned for his footwork – moved to Wasps from Sale Sharks in the off-season.
In 2016, the explosive back ran in eight tries in just three Premiership Sevens group matches for Sale to top Christian Wade’s try-scoring record in the competition.
During his first season in Manchester, he impressed across both the Premiership and Heineken Champions Cup and has gone on to score seven tries in 29 first-team appearances for the Sharks.
He previously spent time with Leicester Tigers while also having represented England Under-20.
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